The Boy Who Loved
by Twinkletoes626
Summary: What if Ginny wasn't the one with the crush? Oh, she's fallen hard for someone. Yes, that Dean Thomas seems like quite the catch. Watch as Harry, who now has the opportunity to see Ginny for who she really is, slowly but surely falls for her. three-shot, with possibility for an epilogue. (got the idea from a story by pinkieponk)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, guys! First off, I GOT THE IDEA FOR THIS STORY FROM PINKIEPONK'S **_**A TWIST IN THE TALE! **_**Good, ****now I've given pinkieponk credit for the idea. One thing you must note is that these chapters are pre-written, so if you make a request, I might edit the next chapter, or I might not. Also, I know this chapter is quite short. Don't worry, they'll get longer. Oh, and I also plan on responding to reviews, so feel free to ask any questions you wish. There, now let's get started!**

**Disclaimer: Sure, J.K. Rowling is writing fanfiction, when she could just make this cannon. Seriously, though, I don't own Harry Potter.**

_Her eyes..._

They were filled with fiery passion. They were full of life, full of ambition. They were full of happiness, full of spunk. Yes, they were full of spunk, sassiness, and stubbornness, and all three of those characteristics were actually quite attractive, in his opinion. Those beautiful, bright brown orbs were something to marvel at, and he did marvel at them. Often. Those eyes were very easy to get lost in, not that he was surprised by that.

_Her hair…_

Her hair was a symbol of her personality, really. It was fiery, blazing, and it stood out. However, as fiery and blazing as it was, he often imagined that it was soft and silky. He wondered what it would be like to touch that hair. Amazing, probably.

_Her voice…_

Her voice could make snap him out of any daze. It was like that of an angel (however corny that sounded, it was true). Her voice could make him feel however she wanted him to. When the voice sounded stern, he felt very guilty. When it sounded sad, he could feel her pain, and would ache for her. When it sounded happy, especially when she laughed, he felt thrilled, as if nothing could go wrong so long as she was happy. When the voice was daring, he felt giddy and excited.

Yes, there was no doubt about it. He loved her. Harry James Potter was helplessly in love with Ginevra Molly Weasley. No, this wasn't easy on the Boy Who Lived at all.

* * *

It was in Harry's second year, when Ginny first attended Hogwarts, that he began to have a small crush on her. He couldn't help but notice how pretty the auburn-haired girl was. However, it was only a crush. He wasn't head-over-heels for Ginny…yet. In fact, Harry was quite content with their friendship, which was growing to rival the friendship of the Golden Trio, but, in a way, was different than his relationship with Ron and Hermione. Harry loved spending time with Ginny. She never seemed to think of him as Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived. In her eyes, he was Harry. Just…Harry. It was fun to escape the worries of possibly being the Heir of Slytherin, and Ginny helped him do just that. She wouldn't talk to him about it unless he wanted her to, which he never did. Harry would grow to love that about her, eventually.

They talked about all sorts of random topics. Quidditch, life at home (Harry would often make fun of Dudley when they talked about home life), the horrors of Potions, how Ginny dealt with her brothers, particularly Fred and George, and about any other random thing that happened to be on their minds when they hung out. It was quite a good escape for the both of them.

Ginny even confided in Harry about her huge crush on a certain second year, Dean Thomas. Around Dean, she was shy, clumsy, and her face was as red as her hair. In short, she was her complete opposite. She obsessed over the boy, babbling about him to Harry _constantly_. Harry tried not to be annoyed that she always, _always_ talked about Dean.

However, Dean took no notice of poor Ginny. This caused the normally confident, independent Ginny to become extremely insecure and vulnerable. No matter how much Harry tried to comfort the youngest Weasley, she seemed to be losing that confidence that, in Harry's opinion, was one of her best qualities. It got worse and worse. Harry, having grown to know the girl very well, could tell she was slipping into a sort of depression. One instant stuck out very much to Harry.

It was Valentine's Day, and Ginny had sent Dean Thomas a singing dwarf as a Valentine in a desperate attempt to get the oblivious Dean to notice her. However, it did more damage than good. Dean was completely embarrassed, and the whole thing was a huge fiasco. By the time the song was finished, both Dean and Ginny wanted to disappear for the rest of the day...or the rest of their lives, perhaps. Later on, when classes were over, Ginny spilled her emotions all over Harry as they strode about the castle grounds.

"What's wrong with me, Harry?! Honestly, a dwarf-delivered singing Valentine! He probably thinks I'm some weird, obsessive stalker! He probably hates me for embarrassing him!" Ginny ranted to Harry.

"Come on, Ginny, don't beat yourself up. I'm sure he didn't mind," Harry tried to comfort her. Ginny didn't need _another_ reason to be so insecure.

"Did you see his face?! Of course he minded! I just _know_ he'll never forgive me for this. I humiliated him in front of everyone!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Ginny, he doesn't think that."

"Harry, he hated it!"

"Ginny," he said, placing a comforting hand around her shoulder, "Dean doesn't mind. I'm sure he doesn't! I know Dean, and he'll probably just laugh it off. He probably thinks it was cute."

"Easy for you to say," Ginny grumbled, "You've got loads of Valentine. You don't know what it's like to not fit it."

The first part was true. Harry had received many Valentines, and he still hadn't gone through them all (he was slightly afraid a love potion had been hidden in some of his food Valentines, so he didn't eat any of them). However, the last part wasn't true. Harry knew exactly what it was like to be different, and he told Ginny that. Without going into much detail, but still enough to make his point, Harry told Ginny a little bit about his primary school days, and how he had been singled out his very first day of school. Then, going into slightly more detail, he told her of how much pressure he had faced as the Boy Who Lived, and how nerve-wracking it was for him in his first year at Hogwarts.

"And look how I turned out! I'm probably the most singled out kid this school's seen in a while, but I'm still happy. I'm going to a great school, and I've got friends to help me through the hard times. You've got friends here too, Ginny, and a family. You've got me, your brothers, and other friends too. We'll always be there for you, Ginny."

Ginny smiled at Harry, wiping tears away from her eyes.

"Thanks, Harry, I needed that," she said, enveloping the boy in an unexpected, yet certainly _not_ unwelcomed, hug. His cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink, and he stared after Ginny as she left.

However, despite their little heart-to-heart, Ginny was still very insecure. Harry was becoming increasingly worried about her. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Ginny seemed to be getting rather pale lately. Ron wasn't too worried.

"She's Ginny," Ron had said, unconcerned, "Nobody's as tough as her. She'll pull through."

Hermione might've been worried about Ginny, but currently, the brightest witch of her age was in the Hospital Wing, having been Petrified by the monster of the Chamber of Secrets. Worry over Hermione had put Ginny out of even Harry's mind for a while. He hated to see one of his best friends so lifeless. Another thing also happened to help shove Ginny out of Harry's mind. When Harry and Ron had visited their bushy-haired friend in the Hospital Wing, Harry's keen Seeker eyes had spotted a small, crumpled paper in Hermione's hand. From the paper, he'd figured out that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was actually a basilisk. He figured out why none of the Muggle-borns (and Mrs. Norris) hadn't died, since looking into a basilisk's eyes caused instant death. This managed to preoccupy Harry for some time, Ginny slipping to the back of his mind. He would one day regret that.

_HER SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER_

The message, crimson in color, sent chills down Harry's spine. Seeing the blood-red message on the wall, Harry got a strange, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Harry somehow seemed to know who it was about. His suspicions were confirmed when he and Ron overheard the teachers' meeting over the message on the wall.

It was Ginny.

Harry froze for a second, absorbing the news. Ginny, _his Ginny_, was trapped within the Chamber of Secrets, For all he knew, she could be de-

No, he wouldn't let himself think about that.

When Ron and Harry heard that Gilderoy Lockhart was in charge of rescuing Ginny, they knew it was up to them, though they probably would've insisted on going no matter what teacher was in charge.

So Ron and Harry went on a quest to find Ginny and save her. Forcing Lockhart, who had been attempting to run away, to go with them.

It was in the Chamber of Secrets that Harry's feelings for Ginny became stronger, though he still wasn't in love with the girl. It was something about seeing her cold, ghostly white body, drained of nearly all life, that stirred something within Harry. It was a mixture of protectiveness, anger at whoever did this, panic at seeing Ginny nearly dead, horror, and sorrow. He also began to feel guilt when Tom Riddle explained that Ginny had poured her life force into a diary, which began to possess her, and now Tom, whom Harry discovered was actually Voldemort of the past, locked away in the diary, was sucking out Ginny's life. Harry, feeling the need to protect the girl from further harm, battled the basilisk, destroying both it and Tom, nearly dying in the process.

Perhaps it was realizing how close he had been to losing her, or realizing how much she'd put up with for the entirety of the school year, but whatever it was, in that Chamber, Harry began to appreciate Ginny much more. He realized his feelings for her.

Harry became _very_ taken with Ginny from then on, though he tried hard to hide it. Her face filled his thoughts. She gave him this warm, tingly, butterflies-in-the-stomach sensation. He had to avoid making a complete fool of himself around her. He stared at her sometimes, found himself hypnotized by her. Yes, Harry had it bad, and his feelings for Ron's little sister would never fade away. They would grow stronger.

**Well, what do you think? Please review and tell me your opinion! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! This chapter is quite better than the last one, I think. Please review and tell me yourself!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That would be JK Rowling, my queen.**

The next year at Hogwarts was a hard one for Harry. Ginny was still as obsessed with Dean Thomas as ever, and her constant chatter about him annoyed Harry much, much more so now. She seemed to never stop talking about Dean. Harry absolutely hated it, but he never told Ginny that. He still remembered her insecurities from the previous year, and he didn't want the girl feeling that way ever again. So Harry encouraged Ginny, telling her it was only a matter of time before Dean came around. The Boy Who Lived was as supportive as he could possibly be, even if it killed him on the inside. Besides, he would find someone else...right? Crushes faded away over time, and he would move on. He'd think someone else was pretty and wonderful and fantastic in every way…one day.

Still, as of now, it was Ginny that Harry was crushing on, and until he got over her, he'd have to deal with all the jealousy that came with having a crush on her. Ginny went on and on about Dean, telling Harry every single detail that she observed. It drove Harry mad, but he would be patient with Ginny. After all, she couldn't help it.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went through a lot that year. Apparently, there was some psycho-killer named Sirius Black who was after Harry. Because of this, everyone kept a very close eye on him. Also, Harry was forced to endure constant teasing from Draco Malfoy, who found it hilarious that dementors made Harry faint. Ron and Hermione helped him through it all, along with Ginny. Ginny didn't think he was weak.

"Harry, you've faced You-Know-Who three times, and you've battled a basilisk! How could anyone _possibly_ think that you're a wimp? In fact, I think that you should be allowed to go to Hogsmeade with the rest of the third years. Who's tougher than Harry Potter?" 

"Dean Thomas," the name slipped out before Harry could stop it, and Harry had to fight hard to not sound bitter. He tried to smile and make it sound as though he were teasing Ginny. It worked.

"Shut up, Harry," Ginny grumbled, but a slight smile graced her features.

"Oh, _Dean_," Harry teased, trying to get rid of his jealousy by having a good laugh, "you're so _handsome_, and so _strong_."

"Do you want me to hex you?" Ginny raised an eyebrow, though Harry could tell that she was holding back laughter.

"Ah, you'd never hex me!" Harry said confidently.

"You wanna bet?"

"No."

Ginny smirked, "I thought so."

"Well, I would bet, but then I'd feel bad for taking your money when you lost." 

"Okay, that's it," said Ginny, pulling out her wand.

"Go ahead," Harry dared her.

Ginny merely stood there for a second, her wand aimed at Harry, before lowering it with a defeated sigh.

"I thought so," said Harry, perfectly imitating Ginny.

"Oh, be quiet, you!"

Harry laughed, "Whatever you say."

Thus was their relationship. It was still as strong as before, if not stronger, but now jealousy was added into the mix. Harry couldn't help but feel a little angry. It had been _him_ who saved Ginny from Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets, not Dean. What had Dean done to get Ginny so in love and obsessed with him? Harry and Ginny were pretty much best friends, but it was still Dean she wanted. Harry would sigh whenever these thoughts crossed his mind. Why did he have to have a crush on _Ginny_, who was famous for her crush on Dean Thomas?

Harry tried to hide his feelings for Ginny as hard as he could, and he did a fairly good job. However, he wasn't totally inconspicuous, and he let a few things slip.

First off, much like Ginny with Dean, Harry had a tendency to talk about Ginny, _a lot_. He loved to talk about Ginny. He let her name slip so very easily into the conversation. Every single word she uttered was permanently filed into his memory, ready to be spread with the rest of the world as soon as Harry found someone else to talk to. He started quite a few sentences with "Ginny says." Hopefully no one noticed.

Secondly, Harry found himself staring at Ginny. He would be sitting by Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall, when his gaze would drift to where Ginny was sitting. He would simply watch her, entering a daze. He hated to sound like a psychopathic stalker, but it was true. Who wouldn't stare at someone as brilliant as Ginny?

_Any normal person,_ a small voice at the back of Harry's mind piped up. Harry ignored it.

At his first Quidditch match that year, Harry unfortunately was subjected to the soul-sucking dementors. It was Gryffindor against Hufflepuff, and Harry thought his team had it in the bag, when suddenly, he saw it.

The Grim.

Professor Trelawney, the Divination teacher, had told him that the Grim was a sign of death. Having already seen the Grim, which looked like a huge, black dog, Harry hadn't been keen on seeing it again, especially when he was soaring high above the ground on a broomstick. He'd certainly feel it if he fell off.

It seemed that the Grim really did bring doom to whoever saw it, because not even two seconds later dementors appeared on the field. Harry tried to focus on the game, tried to forget about the unnerving chill creeping up his spine, but it was all in vain. A sharp scream of "Harry!" pierced through him as his faded out of consciousness, his surroundings becoming obscured by darkness.

Harry awoke a long while later. He was about to open his eyes, when he heard a soft, tender voice, full of love and concern. It was Ginny.

"You'll be okay, Harry," she murmured softly, "You're always okay."

Harry decided to keep his eyes closed, so that Ginny wouldn't realize that he was awake. He didn't want to end this moment. Ginny actually showing that she cared about him...actually _stroking_ his hair. That was too good to pass up.

Harry lay in his bed, simply enjoying Ginny's soothing voice. The two sat there in companionable silence for a few moments, before Harry finally decided to relieve Ginny of her worries. He slowly opened his eyes.

"Hey, Gin," he said, his voice hoarse and soft.

"Harry!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. Quickly realizing what she was doing, she removed her arms from around Harry and coughed awkwardly.

"I - er - uh…" 

"Happy that I'm okay, are you?" Harry teased, but inside, his stomach was doing flips.

Ginny smiled sheepishly.

"I see that Ron and Hermione finally ditched me," said Harry, trying to change the subject.

"They _wanted_ to be here, Harry. All of Gryffindor wanted to, but when Madam Pomfrey saw how many people there were, she said that there could only be one visitor at a time."

"Ah, Madam Pomfrey isn't very fond of visitors, is she?" Harry smiled fondly.

Ginny chuckled, "That's an understatement if I've ever heard one."

"So, what happened?" Harry asked eagerly, getting to what he really wanted to know.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, feigning cluelessness, but Harry could tell that she knew exactly what he meant.

"The match! What happened?"

"Oh, uh, well…" Ginny trailed off, looking at Harry uncomfortably.

"Go on," Harry urged.

"We lost," Ginny finally answered Harry's question. He sighed, having expected this.

"But, that's not all," Ginny said, looking like she hated having to tell him this.

"What?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Y-your broom - it was blown into the Whomping Willow, and, you know…" Ginny studied Harry's face for a reaction.

After a moment's silence, Harry gave Ginny a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Well, it was just an old broom, I suppose," he said, but on the inside, he was rather upset by the news. He'd had that broom ever since his first year, and it had yet to let him down. Now he'd have to ride on the terrible school brooms until he could get himself a new one. How was Harry expected to help Gryffindor win on the back of a highly damaged school broom? He was already proving himself to be a weak, scrawny git. Now he wouldn't even be able to play Quidditch properly, and that was his only talent.

Ginny seemed to know what Harry was thinking, because she said, "Relax, Harry. I'm sure you'll still be just as amazing at Quidditch. The broom isn't what makes a good player, after all." 

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, and though what she said about brooms was right, Harry highly doubted he would still be as good at Quidditch. How could he, when he fainted everytime he was around dementors?

Suddenly, Ginny whacked him on the head.

"Blimey, Ginny, what was that for?!"

"You're blaming yourself, aren't you? Well, stop it!" Before Harry could interrupt, she continued, "What happened today wasn't your fault. Dementors aren't supposed to come onto the Quidditch pitch."

"Yeah," Harry muttered half-heartedly.

"Harry?" asked Ginny after a small silence.

"What?"

"I can read you like a book, Potter. I know that you aren't telling me something."

"I'm not holding anything back! I'm an open book! Honest!" Harry protested.

Ginny laughed, "Harry, you are many things - very odd things, I might add - but you are definitely _not_ an open book. Now tell me what you're hiding."

Harry decided to play dumb, "I don't know what you're talking about, Ginny."

"Really? You don't? Well, I could tell Hermione about this little conversation, and we both know how _she_ can get when she wants to know something."

Harry shuddered at the thought of a Hermione investigation. He considered telling Ginny, but he wasn't sure. Harry wasn't the type to open up and tell everyone the depths of his emotions. He'd rather just deal with them on his own. Besides, it wasn't like he had practice in opening up, as he lived with the Dursleys, who pretended that neither her nor his feelings existed. Still, Ginny could be very persuasive when she wanted to be. Not to mention, he found it hard to deny her anything she wanted. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to tell her what was bothering him…

Harry sighed in defeat, "Fine, I'll tell you," With a nod of encouragement from Ginny, he said, "I - I'm - well, I'm afraid…"

Ginny waited patiently through Harry's stuttering, which he was extremely grateful for.

"Er, well, you see, after fainting because of those dementors, I - I have to wonder - what if I'm just a - a wimp?"

Ginny gaped at him for a few moments before finally regaining her composure enough to say, "What - what makes you think you're a wimp? I mean, you've done so many great things, Harry. You're a hero!" Harry could tell Ginny thought he was being absurd for calling himself a wimp, but she still waited for him to share his side of the story. Ginny was a great listener, and Harry added that to the long list of things that was amazing about her.

"Hear me out, Ginny. You may call me a hero, but let's think about this. I can't even remember that night when Voldemort" - Ginny flinched at the name - "killed my parents. That was really my mum. _She_ was the one who gave me the Love Shield. That means it was _her_ who saved the world, not me."

"Okay, but remember the Philosopher's Stone, and the Chamber of Secrets?" Ginny looked slightly pained when she brought up the Chamber, but Harry noticed gratefully that she was willing to put that aside for him.

"Once again, protecting the Philosopher's Stone was all my mum's doing. If I didn't have that Love Shield, I couldn't have beaten Quirrel. I would be dead, and the Philosopher's Stone stolen."

"Okay, but what about saving me? That was all _you_, Harry, and you can't convince me otherwise!" 

"The Chamber was all coincidences, really. If I didn't have Fawkes and the Sorting Hat,

I couldn't have saved you."

"Stop, Harry! You're forgetting, it was _you_ who called Fawkes to yourself. _You_ pulled out the Sword of Gryffindor. _You_ destroyed the diary."

"I know, but still, it's just luck and Mum that have kept me alive for so long," Harry said, suddenly feeling very tired.

Ginny shook her head, probably wondering why Harry had such low self-esteem. _Because I deserve it_, Harry silently answered her question. It wasn't that he had low self-esteem. He was just stating the truth.

Ginny looked Harry deep in the eye, "But, Harry, you still saved this school. What if you hadn't been there at all? Then You-Know-Who would have the Philosopher's Stone, and I'd be - I'd be - Well, you know…" she said.

"But-"

"No buts. You're a hero because you were _willing_ to save us. You were _willing_ to protect the Philosopher's Stone. You were _willing_ to risk your life to save me. That's what makes a hero,

Harry. Were any of us there ready to face Quirrel? No, you, Ron, and Hermione were. Like it or not, without you, this school would be doomed, because none of the rest of us were down there and ready to fight Quirrel. But you were. You were the one to figure it out. Not the rest of us." 

Harry and Ginny stared silently at each other for a long moment. A sort of tension had filled the air, Ginny anticipating Harry's words.

Finally, Harry spoke, "Thanks, Gin," and he lay his head back on the pillow for a nap. Ginny smiled warmly at him before gently pulling the covers over Harry. Harry smiled his thanks and closed his eyes.

The rest of the school year went rather well, and Harry sometimes wondered if Ginny was spending a little more time with him, and a little less time talking about Dean. Oh well, that didn't matter. Harry found out that year that he had family outside the Dursleys. His godfather, Sirius Black, had been accused of murder, but wrongly so. Even though he wouldn't get to stay with Sirius, it would be nice to actually have a correspondent. Also, Ron had invited him to the Quidditch World Cup. Harry was definitely looking forward to that, not to mention he'd get to spend more time with a certain fiery redhead…

**What do you think? Please let me know in a review!**


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